Changes

|route= [[Calcutta]] to [[Faridpur]] (BG) with branches to<br>[[Budge -Budge]], [[Diamond Harbour]], [[Lalgola]]

|gauge1details= 495 miles (1905)|gauge2= Metre gauge|gauge2details= 637 miles (1905)|gauge3= 2' 6" NG|gauge3details= 55 miles (1905)

|timeline1date= 18581857

|timeline2date= 1868|timeline2details= [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] mergertaken over

|timeline4date= 1915|timeline4details= Opening of [[Hardinge Bridge]] at Sara Ghat

|stations= '''[[Sealdah|Calcutta Sealdah]]''', [[Dum Dum]], [[Naihati]], [[Kaliganga]], [[Rajbari]], [[Goalundo]], [[Ranaghat]], [[Krishnagar]], [[Plassey]], [[Murshidabad]], [[Bangaon]], [[Jessore]],See also separate page [[Calcutta_Railways_%26_Stations#Sealdah_Station| ''' Calcutta Seadah Station''']] for details|system1date=1884|system1details= Worked by Eastern Bengal RailwayState agency

|company1= 1884|company1details= [[Eastern Bengal Railway]]|company2=1868

|company10details= [[Brahmaputra-Sultanpur Railway]]

|workshopstations= See also separate page [[KanchraparaCalcutta_Railways_%26_Stations#Sealdah_Station| ''' Calcutta Seadah Station''']]for details|stationsworkshop= [[BangaonKanchrapara]], [[JessoreSaidpur]] <br>''See'' [[EBR Railway Workshops]],

The '''Eastern Bengal Railway''' Company (EBR) was formed as a [[Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railway]] company in 1858 1857 for "the construction and working of a line from [[Calcutta ]] to [[Dacca]], with a branch to [[Jessore]]. Capital 1,000,000''l''. This amount has been sanctioned for the line from Clacutta Calcutta to the Ganges at Kooshtee([[Kushtia]]), near Pubnah, about 80 miles, all that is authorised to be proceeded with at present. Rate of Interest Guaranteed - 5 per cent on 1,000,000''l''" <ref> "Money Market and City Intelligence", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a. </ref>." (1) 

== History ==The first construction started in October 1859. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had been engaged in Britain as consulting engineer to the EBR and [[Bradford Leslie]], an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges, was sent to India as engineer in charge of bridges and viaducts. He supervised the building of the [[East_Bengal_Railway_Bridges#Ichamati_River_Railway_Bridge|Eschamutter(Ichamati)]] and [[East_Bengal_Railway_Bridges#Kumar_River_Railway_Bridge|Koomar(Kumar)]] river bridges before returning to Britain in 1861. He returned to India in 1865 and became Chief Engineer and Agent <ref> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Leslie Wikipedia "Bradford Leslie"]; Retrieved on 5 May 2016</ref><ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PpJMCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74&lpg=PT74&dq=southern+punjab+railway+company&source=bl&ots=R1AsTgkegr&sig=CzpHod72_VMtjRKj6Ire4zWNOV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyqrig1rXMAhVrJMAKHY0EDRc4ChDoAQg3MAU#v=onepage&q=southern%20punjab%20railway%20company&f=false Google Books “New Delhi: The Last Imperial City- Sir Bradford Leslie and the meaning of Empire, Chapter 5.3” by D. Johnson, Richard Watson"]; Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>.

The first track was laid along '[[Brassey & Co|Brassey, Wythes and Paxman Partenership]] undertook the east bank construction of the Ganga to EBR a line of 112 miles(179km) from [[KushthiaCalcutta]] and then across the river to [[DaccaKushtia|Kooshtea(Kushtia)]]on the River Ganges. The line to Kushthia was opened in 1862, ending in stages from [[Calcutta]] at in 1862 and completed through to [[SealdahKushtia]]. The EBR became the '''Eastern Bengal State Railway''', owned and managed by the Government of India (GoI), on 30 June 1884in 1864.

The GoI merged [[1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Progress_on_State_lines._Paragraphs_5-10.3B_Pages_3-4| “1870-71 Annual Report for Indian Railways for the Eastern Bengal Railway“]] gives:- [[Calcutta and South Eastern RailwayRail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|‘Broad Gauge (BG)]] into the EBSRLine sanctioned 159 miles(256km), and several others in 1887 which included 45 miles(72km)of Line opened 1870 with nil to be finished’. In 1904, the EBSR took over The Report also details the [[Bengal Central Railway]]1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Eastern_Bengal_Railway._Paragraphs_76-78. In 1915, 3B_Page_36|‘progress of the system reverted to railway and the style, commercial summery’]] - ''see separate pages for Report details.'Eastern Bengal Railway'''.

During [[Franklin Prestage]] became the 1920s Agent for the EBR in the early 1870's. In its original contract with the Secretary of State for India, the EBR continued Company was to open a rail-line to grow [[Darjeeling]]. However the [[Government of India]] took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by merger and amalgamation, Guaranteed companies in new areas and also began instead decided to convert sections of metre construct and narrow gauge to eliminate manage new rail bottlenecks-lines as [[:Category:State Railways|State Railways]]. On 1 January 1941, the GoI acquired Prestage resigned from EBR and in 1879 set up the [[Bengal Dooars RailwayDarjeeling Steam Tramway]] and merged it into the EBRCompany <ref>[http://www.irfca.org/articles/eminent-railwaymen.html#prestage “Eminent Railwaymen of Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, reproduced by IRFCA ''Indian Railways Fan Club''] Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>.

In 1942, the GoI merged the The EBR with became the [[Assam '''Eastern Bengal State Railway]] to create '''(EBSR), owned and managed by the Government of India([[Bengal and Assam RailwayGovernment of India |GoI]]), on 30 June 1884.

The following are held in During the [[India Office Records]] at 1920s, the [[British Library]]EBR continued to grow by merger and amalgamation, and also began to convert sections of metre and narrow gauge to eliminate rail bottlenecks.

*L/AG/46/10/35 : Contracts of appointment (1862-1869)On 1 January 1941, the GoI acquired the [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] and merged it into the EBR.

The above is partially indexed in *Z/L/AG/46 : Index to UK Appointments In 1942, the GoI merged the EBR with the [[Assam Bengal Railway]] to Indian Railways (1849-1925) The following is not included in create the index Z/L/AG/46. *L/AG/46/10/35 : Lists of staff, 1879-1881.   == External links === [http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/R_0048.htm "[Bengal and Assam Railway"] ''Banglapedia''. [http://www.railway.gov.bd/brief_history.asp "Brief History"] ''Bangladesh Railway''.

== Notes External Links== *[http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway Banglapedia "National Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh" Railway]*[http://inforail.blogspot.com/2012/10/brief-history-of-bangladesh-railway.html "Brief History of Bangladesh Railway" Bangladesh Railway Information]